Ohio State entered the NCAA Wrestling Championships hoping to be the clear No. 2 seed in the tournament and potentially take home the title if Penn State struggled. Well, Penn State isn’t budging. But even so, it was a tough day for the Buckeyes. They’re still in the thick of the team competition and they certainly have a chance at second place, but the Buckeyes were nowhere near where they were expected to be on Thursday morning.
The Buckeyes got off to a slow start in the second quarter as Nick Buzakis was defeated by No. 14 seed Jacob Moran (Indiana). Buzakis struggled in both early clinches and didn’t look like himself on the mat. Maybe it’s a health issue, or maybe he’s struggling to keep his weight at 125 (he’s a natural at 133), but whatever the issue, he needs to stay healthy for wrestling or this could be a very disappointing match. If he fully recovers, though, he should be able to at least make it to the Heat Round and still earn All-American honors or even finish third all the way.
advertise
The day also ended badly for the Buckeyes, with Nick Feldman losing to No. 21 seed Juan Mora (Okla.) in the heavyweight match. Head coach Tom Ryan said during morning practice that Feldman isn’t fully healthy yet, but he’s still wrestling well. He will also get a chance to dive deep into wrestling.
Three other Buckeyes lost games on the night. Dylan Fishback and Paddy Gallagher lost to better opposition. Gallagher was actually impressed with his defeat, holding off No. 1 Mitchell Mason Brinker (Penn State) for a pin or Tech Fall for the third time this year. 149-pounder Ethan Stiles appeared to be exhausted against No. 10 seed Aden Valencia (Stanford), giving up a late fall that cost him the first five minutes of the match.
As has been the case all season, the 133- and 141-pound weight classes were the highlights for the Buckeyes. Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez both had Tech Fall wins as they were both expected to finish on the podium. Carson Cacchila also looks strong despite having an upcoming quarterfinal matchup against Patrick Kennedy (Iowa State). Brandon Cannon was the fourth Buckeye to win on the night, scoring a late knockout of Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) in a dramatic come-from-behind victory. His reward? Quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 seed P.J. Duke (Penn State), who dominated his Big Ten tournament a few weeks ago.
Ohio State currently sits in fifth place in the team standings, but only four points separate the Buckeyes from second-place Nebraska. The problem for the Buckeyes is that all three teams ahead of them (excluding Penn State) will have seven wrestlers competing in the quarterfinals, while the Buckeyes only have four. There are still a lot of team points to be won in wrestling matches, but it’s much more difficult. The Buckeyes are going to need to come out stronger on Friday if they want to continue competing for podiums as a team.
advertise
The next matches (quarterfinals and wrestling matches) will begin at noon ET on Friday.
Ohio State next game
125 pounds (consolation): Nick Buzakis vs. No. 29 Tyler Chappelle (Pitt)
133 pounds (quarterfinals): Ben Davino vs. No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
141 pounds (quarterfinals): Jesse Mendez vs. No. 8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota)
149 pounds (consolation): Ethan Stiles vs. No. 25 Michael Gioffre (Illinois)
157 pounds (quarterfinals): Brandon Cannon vs. No. 1 P.J. Duke (Penn State)
165 pounds (consolation): Paddy Gallagher vs. No. 31 Jared Kesla (Pitt)
174 pounds (Championship): Carson Hakira vs. No. 5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa State)
184 pounds (consolation): Dylan Fishback vs. No. 11 Sean Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)
advertise
197 pounds (consolation): Luke Geog vs. No. 6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State)
Heavyweight (consolation): Nick Feldman vs. Nathan Taylor (Lehigh University)
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Four Ohio State wrestlers advance to NCAA tournament quarterfinals
